The Lion and the Serpent
by TheRavenclawAthena
Summary: A Dramione fanfiction. Starts in fifth year and tells the story of how they fall for each other. I plan on making this a long story.
1. Chapter 1

There was only one reason Hermione was attending the Quidditch match on that freezing November day, ignoring the studying she could be doing curled up in front of the library's roaring fire. And that reason was not because this was a very important match, one that could decide the House Cup winner. No, it was because Gryffindor was playing Slytherin. And the Slytherin Seeker, one Draco Malfoy, was someone Hermione had been very interested in of late.

Or, if she were to be totally honest with herself, she'd been interested in him since the very first day she laid eyes on him. The day when they were both first years, just eleven years old, she with buck teeth and bushy hair and he with slicked-back, white-blonde hair. Now, they were fifth years. She had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, while he… let's just say, Hermione couldn't imagine anyone more perfect. With his tousled blonde hair and gray eyes, no one could deny it: Draco was a looker. He was also athletic, smart, and mysterious in a way Hermione couldn't help being drawn to.

Her eyes searched the Quidditch pitch, waiting eagerly and impatiently for the teams to come out of their locker rooms. Finally, she spotted the brilliant scarlet and gold of the Gryffindors and, a few moments later, the deep green and silver of the Slytherins. Her eyes immediately spotted Draco, standing tall and gripping his broomstick tightly as the Captains shook hands and the players mounted their broomsticks, waiting for Madam Hooch's signal to take flight.

Just a second before Madam Hooch released the Quidditch balls, signaling the start of the match, Draco's eyes scanned the Gryffindor section and rested on Hermione. He looked away so quickly that Hermione shook her head, realizing she must've imagined it. She told herself to stop being stupid and settled in to watch the game.

And then the match began, and it was so exciting that she almost forgot about Draco. Almost. But there were moments, like when Harry and Draco both thought they saw the Snitch and went after it fiercely, when Hermione wasn't sure whether she wanted Gryffindor or Slytherin to win. And, when Harry finally caught the Snitch, barely beating Malfoy to it by successfully executing some tricky maneuvers, Hermione almost felt a twinge of disappointment. She inwardly kicked herself. Harry was her best friend, Gryffindor was her house. And Draco was…well, Hermione didn't know exactly what Draco was at the moment.

The Gryffindors ran onto the pitch, cheering and screaming, to congratulate the Gryffindor team on their victory. As she joined the crowd, Hermione accidentally bumped into Draco as he was heading off the pitch to join his team in the Slytherin locker room.

"Oh, sorry!" she exclaimed breathlessly as their eyes met.

"That's okay, Granger," he said with a smirk. "Better go and congratulate Potter; he looks like he's enjoying his moment of glory."

"All right, Malfoy, go have fun wallowing in your misery," she replied, the words insulting but the tone joking.

He nodded and smiled, showing he knew she was joking, and turned to leave. Hermione stood there speechless, her hand over her mouth, watching his form grow smaller as he made his way to the Slytherin locker room.

Ron's voice brought her back to earth. "Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked and, not waiting for an answer, launched into a retelling of one of his good saves. "Did you see that one where I blocked it, and almost -"

"Yes, Ron, you were brilliant!" she exclaimed, flashing Ron a smile that was more for the memory of Draco than for Ron.

He smiled back, pleased at the attention but a little confused since Hermione had seemed sort of distant lately.

Harry joined them, putting his arms around his best friends and leading them up to the Common Room, where the post-victory celebration was already taking place.

Hermione grabbed a butterbeer and headed to a chair in the corner of the room, blocking out Ron's loud reenactment of one of his best saves and thinking of a certain blonde-haired boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco made his way to the Slytherin locker room slowly, his thoughts preoccupied by his recent run in with Hermione.

 _She's a Muggle-born_ , he thought.

 _So?_ a part of him said.

The other side of him, the side hammered into him by his father, sneered at this thought. She was a Muggle-born, and that was that.

A hand on his shoulder launched him from his thoughts. "Tough luck, Malfoy," he heard in the deep voice of Montague, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain.

He nodded, confused at first by Montague's words, and then realized they referred to how Potter had barely beaten him to the Snitch. "I'll get him next time," Draco said with a cold smile.

Montague grinned. "That's my boy." He clapped Draco on the back again, and the two headed into the locker room together.

Draco showered and dressed in his school robes as his teammates loudly commented on the match, mainly railing on the Gryffindor team as a whole, and Harry Potter in general. Draco of course joined in, because he despised Potter as much as the next Slytherin.

Soon the subject was exhausted, and Draco headed up to the castle. Ahead of him were Potter, Granger, and Weasley, their arms thrown around each other. Their loud laughter was carried by the cold November wind and reached Draco's ears. Draco had always looked on the trio with revulsion, but now he gazed at them with longing, wondering what it would be like to have friends as true as the three obviously were.

As they reached the castle, Hermione turned slightly, hearing Malfoy's footsteps behind her. She paused for a moment, looking at him for a second before rushing into the castle, following her friends.

 _She's pretty_. The thought popped into Draco's head before he could block it out.

 _Well_ , he thought stubbornly, _she_ is _pretty_.

And she was, with the last laugh she'd shared with Harry and Ron etched on her face, her cheeks rosy from the cold, her curly hair peeking out of her hat.

 _But that doesn't change who she is_ , he thought as he entered the castle. _She's still a mudblood. Imagine what Father would say_. And with that, he pushed her from his mind.

As he entered the Slytherin Common Room, shouts of "Malfoy!" rang through the room. He flopped down on the couch in front of the fire lazily, engaging in meaningless conversation with his friends, mostly reenacting the Quidditch match and roundly abusing Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors.

Pansy Parkinson came in with an armful of Butterbeers and plunked them down on the table.

"Here, Draco," she said, handing him one with a simpering smile.

"Thanks," he said, accepting it and taking a swig.

She sat down next to him, much too close for his comfort, and he looked at her. Suddenly, Hermione's face popped into his head. Pansy paled in comparison to Hermione, there was no doubt about it. The thought of his father's disapproving sneer was enough to expel Hermione from his head once again, and he leaned back on the couch.

The butterbeer and warmth from the fire making him drowsy, Draco yawned hugely. "Well, I'm off to bed, guys," he said in his drawling voice, standing up and stretching.

Draco grabbed another Butterbeer and headed to his dormitory, blocking out Pansy's attempts to get him to stay and trying not to think about a certain curly-haired girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione woke up the next day with a delicious sense of happiness pervading her senses. She lay in her bed for a few minutes before rising, thinking of the previous day's events and smiling at the thought of Draco.

"What're you so happy about, Hermione?" Parvati Patil, one of Hermione's roommates, asked, pouncing on Hermione's bed.

Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning. "Oh, just glad Gryffindor won yesterday," she said.

"Aren't we all?" Lavender Brown called from across the room where she was putting on her robes.

"Yeah, the look on Malfoy's face when Harry beat him to the Snitch was priceless," Parvati laughed.

Hermione forced a smile, getting up and beginning to dress in order to avoid saying anything.

Parvati and Lavender continued chatting about the match and homework and the weather. Hermione barely said anything, her thoughts being occupied.

"You okay, Hermione?" Lavender asked, looking at her curiously.

Hermione nodded, "Just tired is all."

"Aren't we all?" Lavender and Parvati said again at the same time, and then laughed at their synchronization.

The three headed down to breakfast. On their way to the Great Hall, Hermione joined Ron and Harry, while Lavender and Parvati went off with some other Gryffindor girls.

"What's first?" Ron asked as they took their seats at the long tables.

"We're almost halfway through the year, Ronald. You should know the schedule by now," Hermione responded as she watched Draco take a seat across the room, accompanied by Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott.

"And why would I, when I have you to tell me?" he retorted.

"Double Potions with Slytherin," Harry responded quickly before Hermione could answer Ron.

Ron groaned. "How could I forget that? Snape _and_ Malfoy, it's so awful it shouldn't be allowed."

Hermione said nothing as she didn't particularly dread any class Gryffindor shared with Slytherin, even if it was Potions. It was, after all, another chance to be around Draco.

As Harry and Ron chattered away, Hermione kept finding her eyes drifting over to the Slytherin table, where she could see Malfoy laughing and talking with his friends. She wished she could be with them, wished she could get to know Draco better.

She stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the library before classes start," she said, wanting to be alone with her thoughts.

"Me too," Harry said, and Hermione and Ron both stared at him. "Just want to check something out," he explained defensively, and he accompanied Hermione out of the Great Hall while Ron remained behind, still eating.

Hermione looked at Harry questioningly as they entered the library. "Since when do you visit the library voluntarily?"

"Since now," he replied. "Hermione, are you okay? You've seemed a little, I don't know, odd lately."

She sighed, wishing she could tell him everything, but knowing she couldn't. If he found out she liked Malfoy, she knew how shocked and disappointed he'd be.

"No, Harry, I'm all right," she said. Seeing his disbelieving expression, she went on. "Really. I'm just tired, and I've got loads of homework and reading I need to do, that's all."

Harry nodded, still not quite believing her but knowing not to press it. "Okay. But if you ever need to talk to someone about something, you can come to me. You know that, right?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, Harry, I do. Thank you," she said sincerely.

She gave him a quick hug to show how much she appreciated his words, and he hugged her back. As she pulled away, she saw a flash of white-blonde hair across the library. Only one person had hair like that: Draco Malfoy. But what was he doing in the library at breakfast time?

"Come on, Hermione, or we'll be late to Potions and Snape'll murder us," Harry said.

She laughed, pushing Draco out of her head. "Yeah, we'd better hurry."

They headed off to the dungeon where Potions was held, talking and laughing together. They fell silent, however, at Snape's icy glare staring them down from across the dungeon.

"Oh, what a crime, we're ten seconds late," Harry whispered in her ear, forcing her to suppress a grin.

"Mr. Potter. Miss Granger," Snape said in his slow, cold voice. "I would appreciate it if you would contain yourselves while in my classroom, and kindly save your flirting for other times. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but Hermione kicked him, even thought she was also inwardly seething. No use getting into any more trouble.

They headed over to the only two cauldrons left open, the ones closest to where the Slythrins were, as Ron shot them sympathetic looks from his perch of safety across the room. The Gryffindors always tried to stay as far away as possible from the Slytherins during Potions, as they were inevitably forced to endure attacks that Snape always turned a blind eye to.

Hermione plopped her bag down, took out her books, and found herself standing right next to Draco Malfoy. He looked at her for a split second before turning again towards Snape.

"Today we will be brewing a Wiggenweld Potion. Can any of you tell me what that is?" he asked, his face conveying that he doubted any of them were intelligent enough.

Hermione, of course, raised her hand, and Snape, of course, ignored it.

Draco glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and slowly raised his hand. Everyone stared, surprised. It wasn't that Draco was stupid, not by a long shot. But he usually didn't voluntarily answer questions.

"It's a healing potion with the power to awaken a person from a magically-induced sleep, sir," he answered.

"That is correct. Ten points to Slytherin," Snape said with a smug smile, pleased with his star pupil's performance.

Hermione glanced at Malfoy, impressed. His answer had been almost word for word from the textbook. He met her eyes and gave her his signature cocky grin.

Snape waved his wand with a flourish, and the instructions for the Wiggenweld Potion appeared on the board in front of the classroom. "You may begin," he said, and the class busied themselves with finding the ingredients for the potion in the storage cabinet.

Hermione began brewing the difficult potion, trying to remain focused on the task and not on Malfoy's closeness.

Across the room, Ron was struggling without Hermione's help. He kept sending her alarmed glances and beckoning to his cauldron, which was rapidly emitting smoke. After a few failed attempts at mouthing instructions to him across the room, Hermione gave up, finding that today it didn't really concern her if he failed.

"Pass the salamander blood, Granger?" Draco asked.

In her hurry to grant his request, Hermione knocked over the lion fish spines. She knelt to pick them up and found herself eye to eye with Draco, who had also crouched down to help her clean up the scattered spines.

"Better be more careful, Granger," he smirked.

"At least my potion isn't green, Malfoy," she responded, glancing up at her cauldron's perfectly red contents, which were bubbling cheerily.

They stood up, having collected all the lion fish spines, and Hermione added five to her potion, which promptly turned a pleasing yellow.

At the end of the period, they bottled up their potions and turned them in. Hermione set hers on Snape's desk with a look of satisfaction, knowing she had done well.

Ron joined Harry and Hermione as they were exciting the class. "Bloody hell, Hermione, don't be late for Potions anymore. Did you see my potion? It was bloody gray!"

Harry laughed at Ron's mishap while Hermione thought that always being late for Potions might not be a bad idea.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco made his way through the rest of the day mechanically, still thinking about Granger. He saw her again in Arithmancy, an extremely difficult class that Potter and Weasley didn't take. Malfoy was glad to see Hermione unaccompanied by the two: Somehow their continual being with Hermione rubbed him the wrong way.

When Arithmancy, the last class of the day, ended, Draco headed to the library to begin his homework, knowing that's where Hermione would be. Sure enough, she was already there, grabbing books and heading to the big table in the center of the room. Draco sat on the other side of the table, casually taking out his books as they looked at each other. They both began their homework.

After a few minutes, Draco decided he'd ask Hermione for help on his Arithmancy homework, even though he didn't need it. Just as he opened his mouth, Potter and Weasley came rushing into the library.

They sat next to Hermione, and as Ron began telling her something "that fraud Trelawney" had done in Divination, Harry looked at Draco. They sized each other up.

"Malfoy," Harry said with a slight nod.

"Potter," Draco responded coldly.

Ron and Hermione were now arguing. "I've told you before, Ronald, this is why I dropped Divination in third year! I simply can't -" she stopped, noticing Harry and Draco's stare down.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

Harry looked away from Malfoy and turned towards Hermione. "Yeah. Just Malfoy here thinks he can out stare me."

Hermione rolled her eyes, muttering, "Boys," before returning to her homework.

Draco packed up his stuff, knowing Potter and Weasley didn't want him there, and realizing the situation would only get more awkward.

"Granger," he said with a nod before turning to leave. She gave him a small smile.

"Glad he finally took the hint," Ron muttered, plenty loud enough for Draco to hear.

"Ronald, there's no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to study here. This is the library, it's open to everyone, it doesn't matter -"

"Shut up, will you? I'm trying to study," Harry said.

Draco walked down the hall, burning hatred for Potter welling up in him. He wasn't quite sure why he was feeling this way.

What had Potter ever done to him? When Draco really thought about it, he realized that Harry had done nothing except outshine him in every way. The thought made him feel physically ill as the full impact of what a terrible person he was hit him. He was jealous of Harry. Harry was excellent at Quidditch. Harry was brave. Harry was popular. Harry was…Harry was Hermione's best friend.

The thought made him recoil. The two were always together, they and that ginger Weasley boy. Who knew what they did when they were together, as they always were? He'd seen them today, hugging in the library, joking together during Potions.

Of course Hermione liked Harry. How could she not? Draco had been stupid, stupid to think she could ever like him. He knew he must have imagined any connection between them. What was Draco Malfoy compared to Harry Potter? He was a scumbag, that's what he was, a foul, dirty scumbag.

He sank to the floor in the deserted corridor he was walking down, clutching his head in his hands. The full realization of who he was, what he'd done, struck him like a bullet.

He imagined how he must look through Hermione's eyes. That loathsome Slytherin who picked on her friends at every opportunity, who could never beat Harry at Quidditch, who was secretive and sneaky like a serpent. The memories of the past years, of the way he'd treated Hermione and her friends, washed over him. In the moment, he'd only acted as he felt was normal. But looking back on the memories, he saw just how despicably he'd behaved.

All his life, Draco had been misunderstood. From the time he could talk, it was made clear to him that he was triply special: firstly as a wizard, secondly as a pure-blood, and thirdly as a Malfoy. His father, a Death Eater and a truly evil man, had brainwashed him to believe that Muggle-borns were filthy, halfbloods to be tolerated but never trusted. Never before had Draco questioned his father: He'd simply always accepted his father's superior knowledge on all topics.

Draco could remember Lucius Malfoy ranting against Harry Potter since his earliest days. So when Draco had come to Hogwarts for the first time, he was already enemies with Harry Potter, and that inborn hatred extended to Harry's friends, and really all Gryffindors in general. His feelings of hatred intensified as it became obvious that Potter was brave, popular, and talented: Things Draco had always secretly wished he could be.

And so he'd grown up, lonely even among friends, miserable and misunderstood both at home and at Hogwarts, with no one to turn to. He'd poured out his bitterness in bullying and bringing others down. His behavior at school had been modeled on the most impressive person he knew, his father, and he'd faithfully copied Lucius's cold and contemptuous manner to anyone outside his inner circle.

He was weak. He knew it now, knew that only a weak and despicable person would stoop to such low depths. Suddenly, boiling hatred for his father rose up in Draco, almost suffocating him. For the first time, he saw who the evil one was, the one who was to blame for everything Draco had suffered. It wasn't Harry Potter, as he'd always foolishly thought. No, it was his father, Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort's right hand man. All his life, Draco'd idolized a father who advocated violence and wasn't afraid to use it himself, and now Draco saw just how despicable his father was. And seeing the truth for the first time made his world crash down around his ears.

Tears sprang to his eyes as his head pounded and his stomach ached.

Draco Malfoy, that's who he was. The very name filled him with revulsion instead of pride.

"Malfoy? Is that you?" McGonagall's voice, stern but caring, reached his ears.

He sprang to his feet, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his robe.

"Are you all right, Malfoy?" she asked, coming closer and seeing his ashen face, the tears in his eyes.

"I…I'm fine, Professor," he said. He had the sudden, inexplicable urge to tell her everything, maybe because he knew she'd listen or maybe because he wanted the whole world to know how much he despised his father.

Instead, he said, "I'm fine," again, this time with more force and conviction.

She glanced at him searchingly, but finally nodded, deciding to let him go. "Very well, Malfoy," she said. "If you feel ill, don't hesitate to go to the Hospital Wing."

He nodded, then turned and made his way to the Slytherin Common Room as McGonagall watched his retreating form and wondered what had happened to Draco Malfoy.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione was sitting on the couch in the Common Room at the end of the school day working on finishing up some homework when Harry came in.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you," he said, his voice serious and hurried.

She looked at him expectantly, wondering what he was going to tell her.

"Ron really likes you, you know that, right?"

Hermione sat stock still as if she'd been hit with a thunderbolt. "What?" she stammered.

Harry sighed. "I really thought you knew. Well, he's liked you for ages." When Hermione didn't respond, still too shocked, he continued. "Hermione, he's going to ask you out."

"You're joking. You've got to be joking."

"I'm not," he said wearily. "Hermione, I honestly thought you knew he liked you. I mean, he makes it pretty obvious."

She shook her head. "I had no idea. Harry, what am I going to say?! I can't say yes, but I really can't say no!"

"It's up to you. But yeah, I guess you've gotta say yes."

Hermione buried her face in her hands, wondering what she'd done to deserve this. "I love him, you know I do. But to go out with him? It's just wrong somehow."

Harry nodded. "I know, Hermione. And I really am sorry. I just thought I should tell you ahead of time, so you can prepare yourself."

"Thank you, Harry," she said, giving him a hug. "Now I'd better get ready for the most awkward situation ever."

He laughed. "Good luck," he said with a sympathetic smile before leaving.

Sure enough, about thirty minutes later, she heard his footsteps. He sat next to her on the couch stiffly. "Hey, 'Mionie."

"Hello, Ron," she said, wanting him to just get it over with.

After a few more minutes of painful silence, he finally blurted out, "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

"Sure," she said casually, knowing that was really the only thing she could say and still maintain their friendship.

"Really?" he said, sounding surprised.

"Yes, Ronald, are your ears working properly?"

He smiled, said goodnight, and headed off to bed, leaving Hermione groaning and dreading Saturday.

When Hermione woke up on Saturday, she was filled with a sense of dread. She moaned, not wanting to get up and start a day that could only end badly.

"Excited for your date, Hermione?" Parvati asked, coming over and sitting on her bed.

"Yeah," Hermione said, trying to summon up as much excitement into her voice as possible.

She noticed Lavender looking sulky. "You all right, Lavender?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lavender responded, but she was still half-glaring at Hermione. Hermione honestly didn't care if Lavender was mad at her: She had bigger problems. She did, however, wonder what she'd done.

Hermione rose and dressed, knowing that she'd have to get up at some point.

She headed down to breakfast and joined Harry at the table.

"Where's Ron?" she asked.

"Still getting ready," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes half-heartedly.

"It's going to be okay, Hermione. Really," Harry said, trying to cheer her up. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"We have a huge argument and never speak to each other again?" she offered.

"Right. So you've really got nothing to fear."

"Nothing to fear about what?" Ron asked as he joined them.

"Nothing," Harry responded, and changed the topic.

Harry and Ron chattered away as Hermione ate and tried not to look at Draco. She noticed that he looked a little pale and wondered if he was sick.

As everyone lined up to go to Hogsmeade, Hermione began feeling nervous.

"It'll be fine," Harry whispered in her ear as they said goodbye. Hermione prayed he was right.

"So, want to go to The Three Broomsticks?" Ron asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Hermione responded absently, focused on the figures of Malfoy and some other Slytherins ahead of her.

They continued into Hogsmeade, Ron trying to make small talk while Hermione's thoughts were on Malfoy. She wished it were Malfoy walking beside her, not Ron. She realized she wasn't making this easy for Ron, so she gave him a smile and began making conversation, trying to brush Malfoy from her mind.

As Ron and Hermione turned to go in to The Three Broomsticks, she saw Malfoy and some other Slytherins exiting a shop across the way. She met his eyes and again wondered what it'd be like to be going out with Draco instead of Ron.

"Come on, Hermione," Ron said, glaring at Draco suspiciously and pulling her inside. She shook off his arm impatiently.

Soon after Ron and Hermione grabbed a couple butterbeers and sat down at a booth in the corner, Draco came in with Pansy Parkinson. _Pansy Parkinson_? That pug-faced, unintelligent Slytherin? A hot jealousy seared through Hermione as she realized that the two were on a date.

Draco and Pansy took their seats at a table just a few away from where Hermione and Ron were sitting. Draco looked at them, and Ron stared back unashamedly while Hermione averted her eyes, knowing that her emotions were probably readable on her face.

She struck up a conversation with Ron, needing to do something, anything to distract her from the sight of Pansy and Draco.

As she talked with Ron, she couldn't help but notice with a grim pleasure that Draco didn't seem interested at all in Pansy. She chattered away, but Draco barely responded. In fact, he seemed annoyed by her. Hermione wondered what was going on. Maybe she was jut imagining his disinterest because that's what she wanted to see.

As they finished their butterbeers, Ron said tentatively, "We should do this again sometime, Hermione."

"Yeah," she responded automatically without knowing what she was saying, and Ron beamed at her.

Hermione stood up, the sight of Pansy and Draco making her nauseous. "Come on, Ron, let's go back. Harry's probably wondering where we are."

"All right," Ron said, laying some money down on the table to pay for their drinks.

As they exited the warm restaurant, Hermione met Draco's eyes. She looked at him for a few seconds before hurrying out after Ron, wondering if the day could possibly have gone any worse.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco headed into Hogsmeade accompanied by some Slytherins, including Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. They laughed and talked, throwing snowballs at each other and trying to push each other into the huge snow drifts. Draco was enjoying himself for the first time since that night when he'd discovered the truth about his father, and he enjoyed feeling somewhat normal again.

When they entered Hogsmeade, they went into Zonko's Joke Shop. Draco soon grew bored of all the cheap trinkets, feeling they were immature, although his friends were still fascinated by them.

"Come on, let's go," he drawled after about ten minutes, and they all left the busy shop.

He saw Granger across the street with Weasley, and it took a moment for it to register in Draco's brain. Granger was with Weasley. On a date. Draco stood there confounded, unwilling to believe his eyes. Weasley? He had always imagined she was with Potter, and that was bad enough. But _Weasley_? What did he have that could possibly be attractive to Hermione? He was nothing but a freckled, gangly ginger boy who was always failing classes, whose robes were second-hand and who supposedy lived with his family of eight in a tiny shack. Draco had never even considered Ron as a threat. He couldn't believe she would go out with him. He had to find out more.

"Pansy, want to go to The Three Broomsticks with me?" he asked quickly because it was the only way he could come up with to get closer to Hermione and Ron.

"Ooh, yes." She smiled widely at him with her simpering grin, and he suppressed the urge to be sick.

He half-dragged her into the restaurant, wanting to get there to spy on Weasley as soon as he could. He led her to a table close enough to be able to hear everything the two were saying, but not close enough to be obvious.

Ron and Hermione were talking about Quidditch. "It's important, Hermione. It's the only break we get from school," Draco heard Weasley say.

"Yes, Ron, but I feel that all the practices and games are causing people's grades to slip. It really shouldn't be allowed. There are other, better things you could do to relax, such as -"

"Spew," Ron answered for her with a grin.

"Well, yes," Hermione said, and they both laughed.

Ron opened his mouth to say something else, then caught sight of Draco and Pansy. He glared at Draco. Draco looked back unashamedly with open loathing. Whatever tolerance he and Ron had shared had ended as soon as Draco had seen him with Hermione.

Hermione wouldn't meet his eye, which annoyed him, and Pansy wouldn't shut up, which also annoyed him.

He was glad, however, that Ron and Hermione only acted like friends: They simply talked about everyday things with no sign of romance. Hermione even seemed a little bored and preoccupied. Draco figured he was just imagining this, since it was what he'd like to see.

And then Ron asked her out again, and she said yes, and Draco felt sick. He'd always known he'd really had no chance with Hermione: She was beautiful, brilliant, and most likely thought he was a git. But he'd never imagined he'd have to watch her fall for Weasley. He could've handled even Potter, he thought, because he'd at least been expecting that. But Ron was even worse. He had to stop himself from glaring at Weasley as hatred filled him.

Finally, Hermione and Ron left. Draco only waited a few moments before following them out the door, just needing to escape to be alone with his thoughts. He ignored Pansy's questioning "Draco?" as he left The Three Broomsticks.

He headed back towards the castle slowly, thinking evil things about Ron Weasley and wondering if the day could possibly have gone any worse.


	7. Chapter 7

As Hermione and Ron left The Three Broomsticks and entered the snowy world of Hogsmeade, they spotted Harry and Ginny across the street. They hurried over to see their friends.

"Hey guys, how was it?" Harry asked as Hermione gave him a knowing smile. She'd had her suspicions that he liked Ginny, and this confirmed it. He looked back at her and rolled his eyes slightly, so Hermione knew she was right.

"Great!" Ron responded cheerfully while Hermione gave Harry a glance that showed it had gone anything but great.

Ron seemed to realize for the first time that Harry and Ginny were alone together. "What are you two doing?" he asked suspiciously.

Harry opened his mouth to respond, to say that as he'd had no one to go with Ginny had asked him to go with her, but Ginny got there first. "Honestly, Ronald, it's none of your business. It's of no concern to you what Harry and I do," she said hotly.

Hermione knew they were about to begin a long, intense argument, so she said, "Guys, I'm going back to the castle. I've got lots of homework," and turned to go.

She left poor Harry to deal with the quarreling siblings himself and began tromping through the snow. She was so preoccupied by her thoughts, mainly how she was going to tell Ron she didn't like him without ruining their friendship, that she didn't notice Draco come up behind her.

"Granger," he said, not coldly but not friendlily either.

"Malfoy," she responded in the same kind of tone, and then sighed because now she was actually talking to him one-on-one, and this just complicated things even more.

"How was your date?" he asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Terrible," she said bluntly, not in the mood to pretend she actually liked Ron. "Yours?"

"It wasn't a date," he responded shortly.

"Oh, really." Hermione's voice was full of skepticism.

"Yeah, Granger, believe it or not, I don't have a girlfriend," he said with his typical cocky grin.

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes, feeling relived that he was comfortable enough with her to joke around. The ice broken, she decided to just relax and enjoy his company, even thought she knew it couldn't last.

"Is your ego heavy, Malfoy?" she asked with fake curiosity.

"No heavier than your hair, Granger," he responded quickly, and Hermione blushed because her hair was one of her insecurities.

"Ad hominem attacks are for the weak, or didn't mummy teach you that?" she retorted, hoping to quell him with her Latin words.

Draco, however, was more than a match for her. "You can only use ad hominem attacks when the person makes them self an easy target."

Hermione couldn't think of a comeback, which greatly annoyed her because she'd never before met someone who could out-debate her. So instead of saying anything, she picked up a handful of snow and chucked it at Draco.

"You're on, Granger!" he shouted, running after her and pelting her with snowballs.

They chased each other, hurling snowballs at each other as their laughter filled the frosty December air.

Finally, exhausted, they flopped on their backs in the snow, cheeks rosy from the exertion and the cold.

Draco turned and looked at her. Her heart pounded as she realized how close they were. They stared into each other's eyes, and for a second Hermione thought he was going to kiss her.

Then he stood up. "I'd better be going, Granger," he said with a return to his old icy tone.

"All right, Malfoy," she responded, trying to hide her confusion and standing up too.

Draco turned and walked back towards Hogwarts as Hermione stood there and wondered what in the world she'd done wrong.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco hurried up to the castle without looking back, inwardly kicking himself. He'd let himself get way too close to her: He'd been so caught up in the fun that he hadn't realized things were going too far. He'd almost kissed her, for Merlin's sake! He could just imagine what would have happened if he had actually kissed her. She would've been angry and confused and run off to Potter and Weasley, and then they would have come after him. Then where would he be? His reputation would be gone, and Hermione would hate him forever. He shuddered at the thought.

Then he realized one good thing had come of the day: He now knew that Hermione didn't hate him as he'd always thought she did. They'd acted almost like friends. He smiled as he remembered their lively banter, their snowball fight. He enjoyed her company, that was for sure, and he was pretty sure she enjoyed his too. He knew he could never hope for anything romantic with her, but maybe they could try for friends.

The castle was pretty much deserted, except for the first and second years, because everyone was still in Hogsmeade. Draco went to the Slytherin Common Room, ignoring clusters of curious first and second years, and grabbed his bag before heading to the library. He figured he'd take advantage of the rare quietness and seclusion and knock some homework out of the way.

Once in the library, he scanned the shelves for the book Professor Vector had said they'd need to do their Arithmancy homework. Finally, he found it: an old, tattered book with "Numerology and Grammatica" written on it in peeling letters hiding in the corner of a high shelf. He magicked it down and took a seat, trying to focus on the difficult Arithmancy work.

His thoughts, however, kept drifting to Hermione and their almost-kiss. Even though he knew it couldn't have ended well, he half-wished he had actually kissed her.

He shook his head and tried to concentrate on the tedious Arithmancy book as he felt it fly out of his hands. He looked up, confused.

"Sorry, Malfoy, but I need this." It was Hermione.

He stood up to be eye-to-eye with her and tried to grab the book from her. She put it behind her back and smirked.

"Finders keepers, Granger, or didn't mummy teach you that?" He threw her own insult back at her with a smirk. He knew he could out-smirk her anyday.

She sighed. "Fine, we'll share it." She plopped to the ground and patted the spot next to her. He looked at her, confused and wondering why she was being so friendly, why she was voluntarily seeking out his company. "Are your ears working properly, Malfoy?"

"Yeah, Granger. Believe me, I hear you." He smiled slightly, deciding to just go with it, and sat down next to her.

He tried to concentrate on his work and not how his knee was touching Hermione's, how close their faces were when they both bent over _Numerology and Grammatica_ at the same time.

He glanced at her and found her looking at his paper. "Cheating, are we, Granger?' he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She blushed and quickly raised her eyes from his paper. "No, Malfoy, I just noticed you've made an error. The Council was in 1672, not 1675."

"Yeah, Granger? Well that should be a semicolon, not a comma. That's called a comma splice, you know," he said as if teaching a small child while he pointed to the error on her paper.

She glared at him as she changed the offending comma to a semicolon and he smirked back, enjoying getting her riled up. Then she started laughing, realizing they'd both been sneaking looks at each other's papers, and he laughed too because her laugh was contagious.

"Shut up, Malfoy, I'm trying to concentrate," she said finally, predictably blaming it on him.

He ignored her. "Do you like Arithmancy, Granger?" he asked.

"Ooh yes; it's my favorite subject," she responded, her eyes lighting up as they always did when she spoke of something about which she was passionate.

"Really? I thought everyone hated it but me," he laughed.

"Well, I thought everyone hated it but me! It really is fascinating, though."

He nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly, lost in thought. Then he set his jaw, determined to tell Hermione how he felt about her, no matter the consequences. "Listen, Granger, I -"

His words were interrupted as the door swung open and Potter and Weasley hurried in, laughing. Hermione and Draco jumped up guiltily.

"I'd best be going, Granger," he said quickly, gathering up his stuff so that he could exit the library before Potter and Weasley could see that he'd been with Hermione.

He wondered if he'd ever be able to tell her how he felt as he walked out of the library and down a corridor, hearing the echoes of Potter and Weasley loudly telling Hermione about something that had happened in Hogsmeade. He'd finally summoned up the courage, but Potter and Weasley had once again ruined everything.

But even as he thought evil things about Harry and Ron, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Hermione. She'd acted like his friend today; she'd been the first to talk to him in the library. She didn't hate him. What if she even liked him? Draco knew that was too good to be true, but still… She'd for sure shown interest in him today.

He decided he'd tell her how he felt as soon as he got the opportunity.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione nodded and laughed at all the appropriate places during Harry and Ron's story, but she wasn't really listening. No, she was thinking about Draco. Did he like her? The thought was in the back of her mind, but she tried not to let herself hope for it. She knew it was too good to be true. But, he had for sure shown interest in her today. She was glad she'd been bold enough to start talking to him in the library. She wondered what he'd been about to tell her when they'd been interrupted by Harry and Ron.

"Isn't that funny, Hermione? You should've seen his face."

"Yeah, Ron, it sounds hysterical," Hermione said absentmindedly, then decided she needed to tell Ron how she truly felt about him. Maybe she didn't have a chance with Draco, but she still needed to be honest with Ron and end whatever charade of a relationship they'd had. "Ron, I need to talk to you."

Harry sent her a pointed look and cleared his throat. "I'm just gonna go…um…find a book," he muttered and disappeared behind some shelves on the other side of the library, leaving Hermione and Ron alone.

"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding nervous.

"Well, I've been thinking and… Look, Ron, this whole dating thing just isn't going to work." She sighed at the disappointment etched on his face. "I'm really sorry," she said softly, looking down.

"That's okay, 'Mione," he responded. "I kind of thought this would happen anyway," he added.

She smiled sadly. "Me too. I just said yes so I wouldn't hurt your feelings. I do love you, Ron, you know that. Just not that way."

"That's okay. You shouldn't feel guilty for that." He hugged her to prove his words, and she smiled, grateful for such amazing friends.

"Harry, you can come out now!" she called across the library, earning her a glare from Madam Pince.

Harry came back over to them. "Is everything good now?' he asked cautiously, apparently surprised that there had been no screaming or fighting.

"Yeah," Ron said, and Harry smiled at his two friends, glad all of the tension had been dissolved.

"Let's get some dinner," Hermione said, suddenly realizing she was starving.

Ron looked at her admiringly. "That's a brilliant idea!"

The three laughed and headed down to the Great Hall.

Hermione enjoyed dinner and being back to normal with her best friends. She knew they'd always be there for her, no matter what happened.

When Ron and Harry headed off to Gryffindor Quidditch practice, Hermione made her way to the library. It was pretty much deserted since most everyone was either still at dinner or in their Common Rooms.

After a few minutes, Draco entered the library. He nodded in her direction and took a seat across the room. She smiled back, wishing he'd sit next to her again like he had earlier, but knowing that was a foolish hope.

She settled in to do her work, losing track of time.

"Granger?" Malfoy called across the library.

Hermione's head shot up and she looked at him curiously. "What?"

"I like you, Granger," he answered with a smirk.

"Wha- I…I," Hermione stuttered, blushing. Then her heart fell as she realized he was joking. "That's not funny, Malfoy," she said coldly, drawing herself up haughtily and trying to regain her composure.

"Granger, I'm not joking," he responded, trying to wipe the grin off his face but not entirely succeeding.

"You…you're not?" Hermione said, still not fully convinced.

"No, Granger, I'm not," Draco said sincerely, standing up and coming over to her. He looked her in the eye. "I've liked you for ages, and I know you probably think I'm a jerk, but I decided I'd tell you how I feel since… Well, I've got nothing to lose, right?" he added with a half-smile.

Her heart pounded and she looked down, unable to meet the intensity of his gaze. "I-I like you too, Malfoy," she admitted, forcing herself to look up into his piercing gray eyes.

He grinned widely, and then quickly turned it into a smirk. "'Course you do."

She laughed at his cocky attitude. "Whatever, Malfoy."

"NO TALKING IN THE LIBRARY!" Madam Pince hissed, peering at them from behind some shelves.

Draco cocked an eyebrow at her, and they left the library together, not wanting to face Madam Pince's wrath.


	10. Chapter 10

Draco kept looking at Hermione as they left the library, wondering how he could be so lucky. He'd, of course, acted all confident around her, as if he'd been assured she'd like him back. But in reality, he'd been terrified that she wouldn't, that she hated him and would be appalled by his confession in the library. So he'd disguised its seriousness with a joking manner and a smirk, as usual.

"Draco? Are you even listening to me?" Hermione's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yeah, of course," he said, smiling at her. "Hey, I want to show you something. Come on!" He grabbed her hand and led her down corridors, up flights of stairs, and across hallways.

"Where are we going?" she said after a few minutes of this, laughing because she was totally lost, even though he seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"Patience is a virtue, Granger,"

She was just preparing to retort when they came to a final staircase with a heavy wooden door at the top. He pulled her up it and opened the door.

She found herself in a high parapet of the castle, round and made of stone with windows all around it. She made her way to a window, hair blowing in the wind, and looked out of it. "Woah...this is amazing! I can see everything from here."

He smiled and joined her at the window. "I'm glad you like it. It's just a spot I can come and think, be alone with nature."

She nodded. "I get that...life can be hard sometimes."

He laughed sarcastically. "Especially if you're me."

She looked at him, wondering if she should ask a personal question and deciding to just go for it. "What's it like, having a Death Eater for a father?"

She wasn't asking him out of petty curiosity. She was asking him because she truly cared about him, and that's why he answered honestly. "It's awful." He looked out into the distance, not wanting to meet her eyes. "It's like everything I do is never enough. And the things I want to do always go against everything he stands for." He looked at her and lowered his voice. "I'm scared of him. Terrified, actually."

Hermione didn't know what to say, how to tell him how much she wanted to help him. Then a thought struck her. "What if he found out about us?"

"He'd kill me," Draco said frankly. "But you know what, Granger? I don't care. Awhile ago I realized that I'm my own person. He can't control me." His voice shook with anger at the thought of his father.

Hermione smiled widely. Draco was disobeying his father to be with her. He thought she was worth fighting for. "We'll just have to keep it a secret, then," she said. "We can meet here, and no one will ever find out."

He grinned. "All right, Granger. But what about Potter and Weasley?"

"What they don't know won't hurt them," she responded, laughing. When he looked skeptical, she continued. "Believe me, Malfoy. I've got them covered."

"You're more than a match for them, huh?"

In the distance, she spied two figures walking back to the castle, one with red hair that was easily visible, even from a distance. "Oh, I've got to go! That's Harry and Ron coming from Quidditch practice."

He nodded. "We'll have to do this again soon, Granger."

She smiled. "Thanks for showing me this. I had a great time," she said, standing up on tiptoe and kissing his cheek.

"Oh, I think we can do better than that, Granger," he smirked. He bent down and kissed her lips.

She pulled away blushing and smiling. "See you around, Malfoy," she said, turning to leave.

"See you, Granger," he replied, a smile playing on his lips as he watched her leave.


	11. Chapter 11

After saying goodbye to Draco, Hermione rushed back down to the Common Room, arriving there only a few minutes before Harry and Ron, who had just finished Quidditch practice. She grabbed a random book off the shelf and plopped on the couch, calming her breathing as Harry and Ron came in talking animatedly about how well practice had went, and how they were sure they'd win their next match.

"Hermione, have you honestly just been sitting here reading all day?" Ron complained as he and Harry walked over to her.

Hermione inwardly laughed, but she kept her face blank. "Yes, Ronald. What else would I be doing?"

"I don't know, maybe..." He trailed off, not able to come up with anything. After all, it certainly wasn't unusual for Hermione to spend the whole day reading.

"I'm starving," Harry said suddenly, fearing an awkward moment between Ron and Hermione. "Let's go harass the house-elves for some food, Ron."

Hermione opened her mouth in exaggerated anger, glad that Harry and Ron did not suspect anything about where she'd really been that afternoon. "I will have no part in that...that cruel usage of innocent creatures!"

"Sounds great," Ron laughed, responding to Harry and ignoring Hermione, and the two exited the room before Hermione could continue her rant about SPEW.

She put her book down, unable to read as her thoughts shifted to Draco. She still couldn't believe that the day's events had been real: They seemed too good to be true. She was thinking about what had happened with a small smile on her face as Harry and Ron returned from their expedition, their arms laden with food.

"See? Told you she's not mad," Ron said, seeing Hermione smiling.

She snapped out of her reverie, crossing her arms and scowling, playing her part perfectly. "I am mad."

Harry offered her a pastry, holding it in front of her nose tantalizingly. "Come on, Hermione. It's delicious."

She looked skeptically at the pastry, as if it would somehow be splattered with the blood of the innocent house-elves subjected to such cruelty.

"Yeah, 'Mione," Ron mumbled, his mouth full of food. He swallowed before continuing. "You should've seen them. Some of them were so happy to serve us that they nearly cried."

Harry nodded his assent vigorously.

She sighed, accepting the pastry with an air of dramatic defeat. "Fine."

The next few weeks were a blur to Hermione, and she could never quite remember the days distinctly. They sped by, running together in a delightful whirl. Normally this rapid passage of time would have worried her or made her feel stressed, but not now. Now all she knew or cared about was that these days involved Draco.

They spent every spare moment together, sneaking off for snatches of conversation throughout the day when their friends were busy. Hermione was able to talk to Draco like she'd never been able to talk to anyone before. He was a perfect match for her intellectually, and their brains were wired the same way. He stimulated and challenged her, and that, more than anything, is what attracted her to him.

Hermione was confident that her friends had no idea about her and Draco. After all, they never outwardly showed their feelings for each other. He stayed with the Slytherins and she with the Gryffindors, and as the two houses rarely interacted with each other, neither did they. Every once in awhile he would catch her eye in Potions and she would blush and look away, busying herself with whatever she was brewing. But she was sure no one noticed these moments, as they were so brief. Yes, she certainly thought her secret was safe.

But Harry did notice. He didn't know exactly what it was that he noticed, but he knew that something was preoccupying Hermione. She never really joined in his and Ron's conversations anymore, and she always had a glazed look about her, as if she were in another world. Also, she never nagged them about their homework anymore, or complained when they copied hers, which was very suspicious.

Ron, always oblivious, didn't notice a thing. He was still sad that Hermione didn't feel the same way about him, but he was happy that at least they weren't quarreling.

And then, before Harry got a chance to investigate the matter, it was Christmas holiday.

Hermione packed her bags and prepared to go home, smiling to herself. She'd already said goodbye to Draco yesterday, hugging him goodbye and wishing him a merry Christmas. After their first kiss, they'd never shared another. They'd instead gone back to the beginning, making up for years lost by talking about their lives and memorizing each other's souls. They behaved as friends, but there was something there, a new dynamic which made them much more than friends. It was the hope of a future together.

She headed down to the Great Hall to say goodbye to Harry and Ron, who were engaged in a fierce battle of wizard's chess.

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron said cheerfully, pointing to the chessboard with a flourish. "I'm winning."

"That's great, Ron. Well, I'm heading home for the holiday."

They said their farewells. She was glad to learn that Harry was going to spend Christmas at the Burrow with Ron, and that they were leaving the next day. She'd always felt bad that Harry usually stayed at Hogwarts for the holiday, not wanting to return to the Dursley's, but she knew it'd be awkward for both of them if she invited him home with her.

Waving goodbye, she turned to leave and reached the doors leading out of the castle when Harry, slightly out of breath, reached her.

"Hey, Hermione, can I talk to you?"

He looked concerned, so she mirrored his expression, fearing that something was wrong. "Sure, Harry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! I mean, not with me anyway. I just wanted to ask...Are you okay?" She didn't respond so he continued hurriedly. "You've seemed a bit, I don't know, off lately, and I just wanted to make sure something wasn't bothering you."

Thankfully, she was a good liar. "Oh, I'm fine Harry, just...it's been a bit awkward with Ron since, you know."

She could tell he bought it, because his face cleared. He really had been worried about her, and she felt horrible for lying to her best friend. But she couldn't tell him the truth.

"Oh! Yeah. I didn't think about that...but that makes sense. I'll talk to him, tell him to act more normal around you."

His concerned helpfulness intensified the guilt churning in her stomach. To hide her face, she gave him a quick hug and said, "Thanks, Harry."

"Anytime, Hermione. Have a good holiday."

She turned and left, ready for a quiet week with her parents, where she wouldn't have to carry the burden of a secret around all the time. But she knew she would miss Draco.


End file.
